


Please, Don't Remember Me

by hazeyghosts



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: ? - Freeform, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Freeform Fluff, Light Angst, Retelling, and only focusing on relationship, but like very different from original story, grammar etc should be good tho dw lol, not edited, quite a bit of fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-16 07:12:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18516490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazeyghosts/pseuds/hazeyghosts
Summary: To cure the plague, Julian gave up the memories of the one he loves most, who he could not save. Three years later, gets to meet her all over again, while running from punishment for a murder he knows he did not commit.





	Please, Don't Remember Me

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't going to start posting until I was finished, but I've got almost 50 pages and don't know how much longer it'll take me lol
> 
> angsty drabble i did that inspired this  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/18027119

Anthea closes the door as the Countess leaves. She begins to curate a list of things to pack in her mind. Maybe she should begin now so she can leave early in the morning. She pulls a small notebook out of her pocket and begins to jot down a few things with a crudely made pencil.

She moves towards the back room, beginning her search, but is stopped by the small scrape of a door.

Peeking her head around the doorframe of the backroom, Anthea spots a tall stranger covered in a billowing coat carefully and quietly pushing the door back into place. She watches as they turn to show a slender body and a face covered by a bird-like mask.

Anthea can’t help the gasp that escapes her, she jumps back from the doorway just as the stranger notices her.

Their muffled voice speaks as they go to unclasp the mask, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you!” They manage to pull the mask from them to reveal an equally slender face and an eyepatch almost hidden by his crop of red hair. He holds up his hands in surrender.

“I’m sorry, I’m just stopping by to speak with Asra. Uh- he still lives here, right?”

“He- He’s not here right now.” Anthea backs up a few more paces shyly.

“Of course not. You wouldn’t know where he is?”

Anthea shakes her head.

“Will he be back soon?”

“I don’t know. He says he can’t tell me.”

“Well, that is suspicious, isn’t it?” He asks with that devillish smile.

Anthea shrugs, “He has his reasons.”

He tilts his head, staring curiously at Anthea, “I’m sorry, have we met before?”

“I… I don’t think so.” Truthfully, Anthea has no idea if they have met.

“Perhaps in passing. Ah, where are my manners. I’m Julian.” He extends his hand politely to Anthea.

“Oh.” Anthea doesn’t return the gesture, “Oh! You’re Doctor Devorak.”

“Ah, yes. I see my reputation precedes me.” He chuckles nervously, “Please don’t call the guard. I was only here to ask a question.”

“I-I wasn’t going to.”

“Oh, thank you,” Julian crosses his arm, playfulness returning to his tone, “I truly am blessed to have stumbled upon you.”

A light smile touches the corners of Anthea’s lips, “I’m Anthea.”

All expression on him changes to shock and confusion, “Anthea…” He pauses to stare at her more, “Are you sure we haven’t met? I could swear…”

“Not that I remember, I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. It- Uh, Asra must have introduced us at some point. Though, I can’t believe I’d forget such a beautiful presence.” His coy demeanor has returned, Anthea’s face reddens, “Are you a fortune teller, too?”

“Yes.”

“Would  _you_ read the cards for me, then?”

Anthea hesitates, but nods and gestures for him to take a seat, he obliges. She plucks three cards from the deck and sets them out for Julian, face down. His fingers linger in the air as he decides.

He flips one, but nothing speaks out to Anthea.

“Death.”

He starts with a snicker, then lets out a bark of laughter. “Death. Of course.” The chair scrapes the floor as he stands, “ Death cast her gaze on this wretch and turned away. She has no interest in an abomination like me.”

“It doesn’t always mean your death! Or any death-”

“I know, I know,” He holds up a hand, “Thank you for your hospitality. I should be leaving before I’m discovered. We couldn’t have a pretty face such as yours accompany me to the gallows, could we?”

Anthea blushes harder than earlier, before she can get a word out, the back door is opened and closed and the doctor is gone.

  
  


Even after her late night, Anthea wakes early in the morning, as she often does. Has her tea and breakfast before packing up for her trek to the palace, which turns out to be very eventful. She’s sure she spots Julian in the crowd, then she bumps into a girl who turns out to work at the palace.

After delicious and polite dinner with the Countess, Anthea is shown to a beautiful room for her to stay in. But she tosses and turns, fading into unconsciousness, then woken by a haunting presence. Her nightmares fade to the comfort of Asra, then just before waking, the curiosity of Doctor Devorak. In her dreams, she knows more of him than she should, he feels like an old friend.

She is woken by someone opening the curtains, at first glance, the head of hair tells her Julian is back in her home. She almost speaks to him, but Portia’s sweet greeting differs greatly from the voice she expected. Anthea quickly rubs the sleep from her eyes and remembers where she is.

As she dresses, her dream of the doctor floats back into her mind. Awake, she realizes how insane it was. Anthea remembers how he spoke to her the day before. Not as an old friend, he didn’t know her at all. At best, they had met in passing, just as he said.

Another pleasant meal with the Countess, Anthea admits she is still undecided on aiding her. Still, Nadia and Portia take Anthea to the Doctor’s old desk.

They leave her to her own investigation of the untidied workspace. She flips through pages and books and folders of medicinal texts that she partially understands. There is a letter to a sister, Anthea tucks that away in her book. She doesn’t recall hearing of a sister, perhaps someone else will have an idea. None of the other papers appear to have significance, not since the plague ended years ago.

Having seen almost every paper on the desk, Anthea begins to dismiss this portion of her investigation. Until she comes to a smaller, folded page, unlike the rest.

Anthea unfolds it, and is immediately frozen, unsure what it means.

A still, black and white image of herself stares back up at her.

She’s sure it’s her, though it’s not quite the same. As if it was done from memory. Compared to the drawings and writings of the doctor, she’s positive it was not done by him, but perhaps this is why he thought he recognized her. Maybe he knew someone once that looked like her.

Didn’t the Countess say Asra also worked here at the time? It could belong to him, not Julian.

Either way, it seems it wasn’t important enough to remember when they left it here. Still, Anthea refolds it and tucks it into a page of her notebook.

Portia soon comes by to take Anthea to the gardens, where the Countess has devised a test. One Anthea finds clever and agrees to participate in, even though she found it rude that the Countess took her card.

But she quickly loses both prey, regardless, she had no idea which had her card. When she entered the gardens, the sun was still far from the horizon. She has until dawn, she reminds herself.

After catching her breath, she notices a small doorway in the stoney wall she leans against. Though a noise startles her, making her wonder if it might be her prey, she knows that if she is meant to catch him, she will. And she enters the golden field beyond.

Gleefully free in the cool winds and warm sun, Anthea runs through the field of wheat, back towards town.

And suddenly, she notices she recognizes none of this town. But it is still Vesuvia, the unforgettable palace dominates the skyline.

It’ll be alright. It’s a chance to learn more of the city. She’ll find her way.

Anthea pulls her book from the bag, and flips it to an almost incomprehensible map of the Vesuvia she knows, she keeps an eye out for familiar landmarks as she continues into the town.

Though the road is wide, a conflict between two men ushers her into an alleyway, out of their way.

Ahead of her, a door opens and she hears a familiar voice.

She stops quickly.

“Anthea!” The doctor spots her immediately. He smiles as if they are already friends, but Anthea doesn’t reply, staring at the doctor warily. He  _must_ have heard about her trip to the palace by now, most have.

“Are you alright?” He asks.

Anthea can’t help the giggle that escapes her, “The accused murderer is asking his accuser if  _she_ is alright?”

His playful smile returns, “Are you accusing me of murder?”

“No,” Anthea pauses, “Not yet.”

“Good enough for me,” He turns back to the tavern, gesturing for her to follow, “Come in for a drink.”

“Really?”

“Of course. It’s always better to get to know someone with a drink.”

Anthea closes up her book and heads in before him. Julian’s hand softly meets her back as he ushers her inside.

“What do you drink?”

“Usually tea, but…”

“They do have tea here, no worries, would you prefer that? Or I could make a suggestion.” Julian ushers her to a table already holding a few empty glasses. She assumes they were his.

She delays her answer, preferring her tea, but curiosity takes her.

“Whatever you’d suggest.”

He returns her smile with a mischievous one, “Don’t worry, I’ll pick something good.”

Julian strolls back to the bar, Anthea takes her seat and decides to jot down a few things in her book. When Julian returns with a pair of drinks, she closes her notes and graciously accepts the peachy coloured liquor.

“Something sweet just for someone sweet,” Julian sits across from her, taking a swig of his own glass.

Anthea tentatively takes a sip to hide her minute blush, “Oh! I don’t think I’ve ever tasted alcohol like it!” She takes a larger swig.

“Well, it hardly has any alcohol, but I thought you might prefer it.”

“I do!”

Julian appears amused by her. He glances at the notebook beneath her arm.

“What’s this for?” He points at the dark red cover.

“Notes.” Anthea shrugs.

He hesitates, “Notes on your investigation?” Despite the implication, he still seems calm and playful.

“Some of them.”

“Oh? And what else is there? What would be more important than me?” He leans back, his hand to his chest in a dramatic fashion, “Are you hoarding secrets from all the fortunes you’ve told!”

Anthea laughs, “Oh, yes! It’s how I plan to take over Vesuvia! If my plan to wed the widowed Countess fails, of course.”

Julian lets out a bellow of laughter, “Ah, and you’ve been given the perfect opportunity to win her favor. Hand over the man responsible for her husband’s death. I’ve unknowingly helped an evil genius win the throne.”

Anthea’s laughter takes her whole body for a moment. She wipes a tear from her eye.

Their laughter dwindles, Julian redirects, “Speaking of the Countess, last I heard, you were asked by her to find her husband’s murderer. Yet, you don’t appear to be here to arrest me.”

“Do I look like someone who could stand up in a fight, with you or anyone else?” Anthea raises her brows, taking another sip. She’s fully aware of her petite figure and lack of muscle.

That pulls a chuckle from him, “Touche.”

“I haven’t agreed to help her yet.”

“And why is that?”

Anthea sucks in a heavy breath, “I don’t know. I... wasn’t around when it happened, perhaps that can give me a clearer perspective. But that means I don’t have ANY of the details, just years of rumour, and it seems as though everyone is positive of the culprit without questioning it.”

Julian nods pensively.

“Did you do it?” Anthea wonders.

“Now, Anthea, why would I take the fun out of your investigation like that?” He smirks.

Anthea nods with an agreeable smile, “I am curious about one small thing, though.”

She reaches into the familiar pages of her book to pull out one of the two new additions, she elects to leave the portrait for now. Anthea unfolds it, “Dear sister,” The only intelligible words, she lays the letter out, “No one has ever mentioned a sister.”

“No, they wouldn’t,” With a wistful smile he turns the letter to him, “No one could tell you of her. I haven’t seen her in years.”

“Why is that?”

He chuckles, “It’s well known I’m a troublemaker, isn’t it? I thought it was best to let her grow up in peace.” Julian folds the letter up and hands it back to Anthea.

“She wouldn’t be better off getting to grow up with a brother that loves her?”

“Ah,” He waves off her query, “She had plenty of other people to love her,” Julian makes a grab for her empty glass, “Excuse me for a moment.”

Anthea nods. She returns the letter to her book, the other yellowed page distracts her. She opens it to stare at the portrait that may be her.

A commotion from a table nearby startles her, she slams the book shut just as Julian returns with refilled drinks and a sopping shirt.

“I missed something good, didn’t I?” Anthea accepts the glass from Julian.

“You sure did.” Anthea watches as Julian tries to wipe away some of the sticky drink from his face and hair, “See something you like?”

Anthea’s face immediately flushes. She reaches to untangle a scarf from her person, without thinking, she offers it to him.

“Ah, thank you.” He sops up the liquor from his hair, face and arms, but the small scarf cannot save his shirt. Julian retreats to his seat, setting the scarf on the table.

“So, uhh, how has Asra been all these years?” He interrupts the silence.

“Asra? Fine, I suppose?”

“That’s good,” He nods, “I’ll admit, we weren’t on the best of terms when I left. I’m not sure he’ll want to see me. What a delight I ran into you instead.”

“He’s not one to hold a grudge.”

“Which makes his displeasure with me all the more disheartening.”

“What did you do?”

“Ah, it could have been any number things, I do tend to get into trouble whether I like it or not. Has he never mentioned me?”

“Not really. I had no idea you knew each other.”

“Hm, I heard you two are close, almost inseparable.” Julian eyes her carefully.

“I wouldn’t go that far, though we are close, but we don’t need to know everything.”

“Oh?” Julian appears to be mildly surprised.

“I accepted a long time ago that there are things I will never know.” Anthea says, staring into her glass dismally.

“I just thought two people in love would share everything, especially grudges with an accused murderer.”

Anthea almost spits out her drink once she processes his statement, startling Julian.

“What? No!” She lets out a choke of a laugh, “Not lovers, definitely not. He’s my best friend, a brother, if anything.”

“Oh! My apologies, I just heard how close you were, and you live with him...”

“It’s alright,” Her laughter trails off.

“That is a relief, though,” He leans into the table, his expression flirtatious as he rest on his raised hand, “I wouldn’t dare try steal a dream such as you from him, but now that I know there’s no competition…”

Anthea is suddenly warm and nervous, but finds herself mirroring his lean and replying, “Afraid of a little challenge? Because I’m not persuaded easily.”

“You say that, but I think you’ll find it difficult to refuse for long.”

His free hand slowly shifts to hover hers, until the sound of frantic ringing startles Anthea. The tavern erupts into chaos, and Julian is already on his feet, his coat on his shoulders.

“The guards are coming.” Julian pulls Anthea from her seat. She grabs her book just as he ushers her towards the back, “Go back up that road, take a left, a right, a sharp right and you’ll reach a round street. It’s long, but it’s a straight shot and it’ll take you as far as the marketplace. From there…. You’ll be able to find your way, yes?”

“I-I think so.” Anthea’s mind races as she tries to cement his instructions to her mind.

“Good, don’t get caught.” He’s gentle in nudging her back into the alley. When she turns to say the same to him, he’s already gone.

Her feet break out into a run before she can forget his instructions. The whole way, her nerves tell her she’s taken a wrong turn. Then she finally sees the familiar market, though empty now, and she’s relieved.

She’s almost at the open street of the market when she trips on something. Anthea tumbles onto the very person she suddenly remembers she’s supposed to be searching for. She immediately feels the pull of the card and reaches for his pocket.

Portia and Nadia welcome Anthea into the hidden carriage. She tiredly settles into the plush interior as the horses lurch the carriage forward, towards the castle.

“I must say, you’ve exceeded my expectations,” Nadia smiles proudly, “I apologise for what must have been a tedious trial.”

“No, it was ...a fun exercise,” Anthea returns her smile, “Asra’s are stimulating, but it’s good to do something new.”

“I’m relieved to hear, nevertheless, you can rest now, dinner and a bath await you, if you would like.”

“I would,” Anthea pauses, “And I’ve decided.”

“Oh?”

“I’ve decided to help you find the Count’s murderer.” Whoever they may be.

 

The bath is lovely, as are the clothes Nadia sends with Portia, though Anthea elects to add a flourish with one of her scarves, which Nadia does appreciate as a perfect compromise.

After dinner, Anthea gives into Portia’s restless antics and allows her take take her on a tour of the castle. She enjoys the friendlier banter she’s able to achieve with the servants after hours. When Anthea shows the slightest symptom of fatigue, Portia escorts her bad to the guest room.

Portia slings a joke at Anthea, she seems familiar… To Julian? Perhaps, but she is tired and that could be the only reason for the comparison. Anthea retreats to the room without mention of it.


End file.
